Jadeja: We must not panic

Ravindra Jadeja

Wellington: Eyeing a consolation win in the fifth and final one-dayer, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja urged his teammates to avoid panicking and curb the “minor errors” that have cost them the series against New Zealand.

“It is just that we panic a bit. We have to reduce that percentage, those minor errors. I don’t think there is any major problem as to why we are not clicking in batting and bowling,” said Jadeja, on Thursday.

“We just need to avoid panicking. We can definitely get positive results then.”

Jadeja said the side is desperate to win the final ODI to turn things around in what has been a dismal tour so far. “We want to win. We will have to win to keep a good morale for the Test series and going forward on the tour,” stressed Jadeja.

“We have to be positive and give 100 per cent for there is nothing left to think about now. We know our calibre and our capability and we have already done it in the past, in overseas conditions as well.

“I don’t think there is a big difference in what the two sides are doing at the moment. It is about small things. In one-day cricket, two-three overs can make a difference.

“If you concede extra runs or cannot score enough in that period, you are to face problems. That’s what has happened with us and we need to avoid these mistakes,” he added.

After taking his time to adjust earlier on in the series, Jadeja has come into his own in the last two matches. He put up a brave partnership with Ravichandran Ashwin at the Eden Park and then played a stellar role to single-handedly help India tie the third ODI.

In Hamilton on Tuesday, Jadeja scored his second consecutive fifty to propel his side to a fighting total after a top-order collapse. “There is no secret. I was just backing myself,” Jadeja replied, talking about his recent success.

“In the first two games, the runs and wickets did not come. I was thinking that good times aren’t around always. You have to face tough periods as well, and hope that they get over as soon as possible.

“I wanted to minimise my mistakes and work hard to get through that phase. This is how I was motivating myself,” he said.

“As for batting, I was just hoping that I get some time in the middle, play three-four overs and then go for my shots. And that is what happened. I did not think too much, did not experiment too much and just played my game. Whenever I do that, it works for me,” he added.

Jadeja’s bowling prowess, too, came to the fore in the fourth ODI when he restricted the in-form pair of Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson. Along with Ashwin, he put the batsmen under pressure, which was only relieved when his spell ended.

“You get turn on Indian wickets and that plays on the mind of the batsman, who does not blindly step out and play his shots. In the last game, it was an India-like wicket. It was soft, the ball was turning. It became a different ball game.

“They were not stepping out against me. Williamson’s game is to step out all the time, but he did not do so in the last match. That is the difference between when it turns and when it does not. I stick to my strength and do not try anything new,” Jadeja pointed out.

The Indian bowling has come under the stick from captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who blamed the fast bowlers for the loss in the fourth ODI.

Besides, the batsmen, too, failed to come up with the goods. “It depends on the situation. In cricket, only if you get some help from the pitch, does the bowler think about getting wickets and putting the opposition under pressure.

“If there is nothing happening on the wicket, the bowler always thinks about not going for a boundary,” Jadeja signed off.